ROXAS City – The Capiz Provincial Health Office (PHO) and partner agencies in the province intensified their campaign against “Iwas Paputok” to promote safe celebrations of the holiday season.
Provincial Health Officer I Leah Del Rosario believed that despite the intensified information, education, and communication campaign, there is still a need for a significant behavioral change for the population to stop using firecrackers.
“For me, as long as there are firecrackers sold, there will always be a user. It is difficult to have a behavioral change; that is why we need the help of other agencies to stop the manufacturing and selling of illegal firecrackers,” Del Rosario said.
She noted that the use of graphics to show the adverse effects of illegal firecrackers has brought down the cases, but the fact remains that there are still existing cases.
“Unfortunately, these are children who, for the rest of their lives, will be missing one or two fingers,” Del Rosario added.
In 2022, most reported firecracker-related injury cases were aged 6–10 years.
Del Rosario also appealed to the public to stop using illegal or dangerous firecrackers and to just watch community fireworks displays.
“I also hope that instead of using firecrackers, local government units can organize a community fireworks display so that they won’t set off firecrackers themselves in their houses,” Del Rosario said.
For their part, Police Lieutenant Colonel Ariel Pico said that the campaign against firecrackers is not only the concern of the government agencies but also the concern of the parents.
“Because in reality, the key to stopping the cases of children affected by firecracker incidents are their mothers and fathers,” Pico said.
He also discussed Republic Act 7183, which regulates the sale, manufacture, distribution, and use of firecrackers and other pyrotechnic devices.
Pico added that under the law, the use of Watusi, Piccolo, Poppop, Five Star, Pla-pla, Lolo Thunder, Giant Bawang, Giant Whistle Bomb, Atomic Bomb, Atomic Triangle, Large Judas Belt, Goodbye Delima, Hello Columbia, Goodbye Napoles, Super Yolanda, Mother Rocket, Kwiton, Super Lolo, Goodbye Bading, Goodbye Philippines, Bin Laden, Coke-in-can, Pillbox, Boga, Kabasi, and other similar firecrackers are prohibited.
From 2018 to 2022, the number of firecracker-related injuries in the province decreased to 28 cases, according to Jasmin G. Gallaza, manager of the Violence Injury Prevention Program.
The Department of Health, PHO, and Philippine National Police, as well as the Bureau of Fire and Protection, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Department of Education, the Philippine Information Agency, municipal health officers, and other agencies, pledged their commitment to end the firecracker-related cases in the province. (PIA Capiz)/PN
